sports Page 840 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Brian Urlacher's Injury Horrified His Teammates, Brought Them To Prayer
Bears All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher opened the new year with an MCL sprain, though his reaction was so terrifying teammates fell to their knees in prayer. From DeKalb's Daily Chronicle:...

Drayton Florence Saved The Best For Last In Earning NFL Flop Of The Season Honors
Bills cornerback Drayton Florence has made a career out of his tough-guy image (just ask Mark Sanchez) but the stunt he pulled Sunday against the New England Patriots puts him firmly in Italian soccer star territory. It was less a flop or dive and more of a hurl—a leaping, falling charade of nonse...

Michael Beasley Did Not React Well To Seeing His Injured Finger
In the context of today's injuries, this one's relatively tame—but Michael Beasley's "Oh shit! That's my bone!" reaction to a finger injury (reports say it was a laceration, one patched up with a few stitches) is priceless. ...
![Oh No, Z-Bo! [UPDATE]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/Image_Not_Found_1x_qjofp8.png)
Oh No, Z-Bo! [UPDATE]
Grizzlies star Zach Randolph went down hard in a painful collision with teammate O.J. Mayo in the first quarter of Memphis' matchup tonight with the Bulls in Chicago. Amateur surgeons online are already claiming an ACL tear and that Z-Bo's season is over, though he later headed to the locker room ...

This Time, It's The Rim That Rejected Kris Humphries
How unpopular is Kris Humphries? His wife is ripping him on Twitter, random people hate him, and New Yorkers are booing him....

Here's Another One Of Those 105-Yard Kickoff Returns We Were Told We'd Never See Again
When the NFL moved kickoffs up prior to the start of the season, long returns were nearly declared extinct. While the number of return TDs is down significantly, there have been a good number of surprises, like this one from San Diego's Richard Goodman. [CBS]...

Something Appears To Be Wrong With Chris Kuper's Ankle
That's Denver Broncos offensive lineman Chris Kuper with a left ankle pointing about 90 degrees in the wrong direction. He can expect a call about post-career opportunities soon from Tim Krumrie....

David Akers Is Now Throwing Touchdown Passes
We're not sure if this says more for Jim Harbaugh's shrewdness or the Rams' general ineptitude, but this fake field goal completion from David Akers to Michael Crabtree was a pass even Tim Tebow would have completed. That having been said, the fake was so good it even fooled the broadcast truck. [...

Helmet-To-Helmet Tackles Are Especially Painful If You're Not Wearing A Helmet
Forgive Houston's Bryan Braman for trying to make an impact on the game and impress the Texans coaching staff, but the undrafted rookie from West Texas A & M ended up making an impression on his skull via impact with the helmet of Titans punt returner Marc Mariani. Top that, James Harrison. [CBS]...

Your Dumbass NFL Play Of The Season Stars Packers KR Pat Lee
The Packers' usual kick returner is Randall Cobb, but he's out with an injury. In stepped Pat Lee, who has completely bungled his kick returns so far today—the most egregious example of which came after Detroit's opening touchdown in which Lee drops the ball out of the end zone, then downs it back...

Sunderland's Ji Dong-Won Delivers Last-Second Winning Goal, Then Makes Out With A Fan
Sunderland continued a giant-killing weekend in the English Premier League by stunning Manchester City in the final seconds of stoppage time with a goal by Ji Dong-Won....

Let's Celebrate The New Year With Auburn's Statue Of Liberty Play
There's never a bad time for a trick play, and Auburn tied up the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta with a picture-perfect Statue of Liberty. Happy New Year in the United States of Football. [ESPN]...

Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald Is Wondering Why God Has Forsaken Him
The Meineke Care Care Bowl Of Texas became the scene of a spiritual crisis for Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, as he sought divine explanations for a momentum-killing tripping penalty. [ESPN]...

10 Stories Of 2011 That Didn't Suck: A SportsFeat List
Max Linsky is the editor of Longform and SportsFeat....

ESPN's SkyCam Becomes Self-Aware, Starts Attacking Iowa Players
It was bound to happen eventually: the wire-suspended ESPN SkyCam came crashing to the ground late in Friday's Insight Bowl in Tempe, nearly decapitating Iowa's Marvin McNutt and leaving the Worldwide Leader's Sean McDonough to apologize with a sheepish "Sorry folks."...

Brock Lesnar Just Retired From UFC. Here's Why (And The Official Announcement)
Here's the shot from Alistair Overeem that knocked Brock Lesnar out of UFC (along with Lesnar's announcement that made it official). The announcement seems to have come a fight too late, given how miserably Lesnar managed to defend himself against Overeem's strikes. Bon voyage, real-then-fake-then-r...

Johny Hendricks Knocked Out Jon Fitch In Ten Seconds
Actually, it was more like one second, as it was a single punch from Johny Hendricks that took Jon Fitch out of their welterweight match at UFC 141....

There's A Late Entry To The List Of 2011's Most Gruesome Injuries
Rutgers kept their improbable bowl win streak alive (it's up to five now) with a 27-13 victory over Iowa State, but it came with a cost: the right leg of linebacker Khaseem Greene, Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year. Greene announced this week he plans to return for his senior season next ye...

BYU Won The Military Armed Forces Bowl By Bearing False Witness
Brigham Young University, the school that suspends you for daring to have sex, holds no such stringency to the words of the Lord when it comes to running football plays. This one earned the Cougars the Military Armed Forces Bowl trophy and, sure, it's a stretch to call a fake spike "lying," but it...

Metta World Peace Doesn't Mind When Kobe Calls Him "Ron"
Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: how the Lakers communicate on the court....